Today in Supreme Court History: April 14

Slaughter-House Cases, 83 U.S. 36 (decided April 14, 1873): Fourteenth Amendment (states can’t abridge “privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States”) doesn’t prevent states from abridging state rights, only federal rights (which the Court refuses to give examples of) (upholding state’s police power to centralize butcher operations for public safety reasons) (in lecturing on this case my Con Law professor, like many law professors unaware of how he came off, kept spitting out the phrase “the BUTCH-ers of New OR-leans!” like they were mass murderers; as the son of a butcher I resent how people use the verb “butcher” to describe shoddy or violent mishandling)

Butler v. Whiteman, 356 U.S. 271 (decided April 14, 1958): jury in Jones Act case should have been allowed to decide whether decedent killed while cleaning tug boiler at wharf was in aid of navigation, was a seaman and whether defendant’s negligence was a factor (overruled by McDermontt Int’l v. Wilander, 1991, in that non-seamen can now sue under the Jones Act) (in the 1990s I defended a Jones Act case where plaintiff was injured when his truck tipped over while loading pallets onto a ship)

Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. Federal Trade Comm’n, 598 U.S. 175 (decided April 14, 2023): challenges to Constitutionality of FTC and SEC ALJ’s can be brought in federal district court (instead of the usual process of agency determination and then appealing to Court of Appeals)

\United States v. Adams, 281 U.S. 202 (decided April 14, 1930): Double Jeopardy Clause bars prosecution for making false entry in bank book where already acquitted of making false entry as to same transaction in another book

Miller v. McLaughlin, 281 U.S. 261 (decided April 14, 1930): Nebraska can regulate fishing on its side of the Missouri River; does not interfere with interstate commerce with Iowa

Walling v. Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co., 331 U.S. 17 (decided April 14, 1947): Fair Labor Standards Act not violated by arrangement where employees (servicers of oil wells) sometimes have to work more than 84 hours a week to get overtime due to wildly varying hours worked weekly (often less than 20, but also often more than 100 hours/week!) (decision provoked Congress into amending the overtime statute, 29 U.S.C. §207)

Crane v. Comm’r of Internal Revenue, 331 U.S. 1 (decided April 14, 1947): homeowner’s taxable gain or loss is measured by fair market value at the time of acquisition without subtracting for mortgage

United States v. Resler, 313 U.S. 57 (decided April 14, 1941): local ordinance requiring license for storing coal did not violate Dormant Commerce Clause even though coal destined for interstate sale; no “continuity of transit”

Wisconsin v. Illinois, 281 U.S. 179 (decided April 14, 1930): orders Illinois to quit stalling and stop diverting Lake Michigan water from Wisconsin as previously ordered (“If its Constitution stands in the way of prompt action it must amend it or yield to an authority that is paramount to the State”)

Kentucky v. Indiana, 281 U.S. 163 (decided April 14, 1930): suit against Indiana by its own citizens as to legality of contract with another state (Kentucky) to build bridge (over Ohio River) is no defense to original jurisdiction suit (by Kentucky) for breach of same contract

Matters v. Ryan, 249 U.S. 375 (decided April 14, 1919): The well-publicizd “Ryan Baby” case: two women (one Canadian, one American) claimed same baby girl, brought in from Canada by the (much richer) American.  Court vacates judgment for the Canadian due to no federal issue.   (Later the baby was awarded to the Canadian for good by a Canadian court.  Not after threatening to cut her in two!)